NYRA, FOX Sports announce long-term TV coverage deal

Posted: Nov. 30, 2018

The New York Racing Association and FOX Sports Nov. 29 announced a long-term television programming deal that will make FOX Sports the year-round national television home for NYRA racing from Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park.

In 2019 FOX Sports is scheduled to televise 500 hours of NYRA racing including coverage of nearly every race day at Belmont and Saratoga. The broadcast schedule will then expand to more than 600 hours in 2020. The agreement builds upon the prior deal between NYRA and FOX Sports that resulted in more than 100 hours of NYRA coverage on FS2 in 2018.

“NYRA has been a terrific partner and we are looking forward to presenting more horse racing on a national stage than ever before,” said Michael Mulvihill, Executive Vice President of League Operations, Research and Strategy for FOX Sports. “With this commitment, FOX Sports has taken the lead in developing content in the fast-growing area of sports gaming by expanding our relationship with the most prestigious name in horse racing, the New York Racing Association.”

NYRA and FOX Sports began their collaboration around the launch of Saratoga Live during the 2016 summer meet at Saratoga, which offered 80 hours of live coverage to a national audience on FS2.

“This is a transformative agreement between NYRA and FOX Sports that will dramatically expand national television coverage of the best Thoroughbred racing in the country,” NYRA President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Kay said. “With increased competition for wagering dollars, we recognize the importance of capturing the attention of sports fans and bettors using high-quality television production to provide the best coverage and racing analysis available anywhere today, which is something our television department has been providing for the last two years.”

The NYRA/FOX Sports shows will be presented by The Jockey Club’s multimedia fan-development and awareness-building platform, America’s Best Racing, created in 2012 to develop new fans by increasing the profile and visibility of North America’s top Thoroughbred racing events.

“The Jockey Club’s support of this expansion of horse racing on television is consistent with the recommendations from the most recent McKinsey & Company report to grow awareness in the sport,” said Jim Gagliano, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Jockey Club.

(Saratoga Race Course photo by Coglianese/NYRA)